Hickory Hills plans TIF for 95th Street improvements

In an effort to stimulate economic development along 95th Street, Hickory Hills is considering creating a tax incentive district to fund improvements along the busy road.

The City Council took the first step toward upgrading the look and feel of the street late last month by hiring land planner Philip Hanegraaf, who had worked on a similar project along 95th Street in Evergreen Park.

Hanegraaf, director of planning services for HNTB in Chicago, will be paid $96,000 to develop a plan that ties together the commercial sections of 95th Street between the Tri-State Tollway and 88th Avenue. The money will come from a $100,000 state grant, said Hickory Hills Mayor Michael Howley.

The city has long been hoping to improve the appearance of 95th Street and create more of a gateway feel at the east and west ends as motorists enter and leave Hickory Hills.

"That's really the first impression tens of thousands of people see. Right now they see an empty car lot," Howley said, referring to a defunct used car business at the key intersection of 95th Street and the tollway.

In other towns, including neighboring Evergreen Park and Oak Lawn, improvements to 95th Street have included new lighting and decorative signs, plants and brickwork.

But the real emphasis will be on attracting quality commercial businesses. Ideally, a hotel would be built near the tollway, Howley said, and perhaps larger anchor or destination tenants along 95th.

To pay for the improvements, it's likely the city would have to create its first tax increment financing district. A TIF district would allow the city to use the tax revenue generated by the improved value of the property to pay for the upgrades. That new tax money would be returned to the TIF district rather than going to the various taxing bodies such as the city, school districts or Cook County.

In a TIF district, the City Council can condemn blighted property to make way for economic development. Such a district requires state approval and public hearings.